"This story map was created with ArcGIS Online to guide users on how to get the most out of the Geography Education websites on Wordpress and Scoop.it."

Seth Dixon's insight:

UPDATE: Sometime in the near future, many of these archived links on scoop.it will go away (boring funding issues, but I'll continue sharing material online). I will still maintain the 50 most recent posts here on scoop.it and I will keep the everything archived on geographyeducation.org.

"Far from the stereotype of total economic isolation, the black market has brought a surprising degree of modernity and consumerism — for some."

Seth Dixon's insight:

It is very difficult to get reliable data, journalism, or any other form of analysis out of North Korea. For decades, North Korea has consistently been the country with the least freedom of the press in the world (as ranked by Reporters without Borders metrics). In the 1990s, North Korea’s official, socialist-run economy failed to provide enough food for the population, and the informal, underground of markets (jangmadang) became increasingly prevalent. This article is a rare glimpse into the shadow economy and the merchants that grease the economic wheels in one of the most authoritarian countries of the world.

"Despite 25 years of democracy, South Africa remains the most economically unequal country in the world, according to the World Bank. If anything, South Africa is even more divided now than it was in 1994 as the legacy of apartheid endures. Previously disadvantaged South Africans hold fewer assets, have fewer skills, earn lower wages, and are still more likely to be unemployed, a 2018 World Bank report on poverty and inequality in South Africa found."

Seth Dixon's insight:

This CNN article takes a shocked tone, but that removes South Africa from it's historical and geographic context even if the outcome is unfortunate (as a bonus for educators, the article has a GINI reference in its analysis with the data charts). Time's cover story is more detailed and nuanced. In the late 1980s, the apartheid system was becoming untenable; the injustices and discontent make the apartheid government unable to govern. Both the government and activists recognized that change was necessary and compromises were needed to allow South Africa to move from the apartheid system of racial separation to nonracial democracy without falling apart.

The post-apartheid government guaranteed that while political power would be transferred, economic power would still stay ensconced in the hands of the land-owning elites, since there was to be no massive land redistribution. Neighboring Zimbabwe had disastrous land redistribution attempts and everyone wants to avoid economic chaos. Land reform will be be a key issue in tomorrow's election (see this BBC article for more election issues).

This article is a good resource that may be used for a case study in our unit because it highlights inequalities and issues affecting the development of South Africa and the impact it has on human wellbeing. Additionally, there are several useful data charts taken from credible sources.

"A generation ago, long before Modi (and the BJP) was in power, right-wing Hindu nationalist leaders in Maharashtra state renamed Bombay as Mumbai — a nod to the city's patron goddess Mumbadevi. Other cities followed: Madras became Chennai; Calcutta, Kolkata; Bangalore, Bengaluru. All the changes were a rejection of Anglicized names that came into use during British colonial rule. In the most recent wave of name changes, it's not about erasing colonial monikers. It's about erasing Muslim ones."

Both examples show that the cultural landscape, including the names on them, are not just a passive reflection of the cultures that have shaped these places; they manifest the power dynamics of competing cultural groups seeking to assert their vision of place and culture to be physically manifested in public spaces.

There's a patch of land between Egypt and Sudan that no country owns. Why? Can anybody claim it for themselves? (No.)

Seth Dixon's insight:

VIDEO SOURCE: If it's new to you, the Map Men YouTube channel is very entertaining with fun, quirky, interesting trivia, but most importantly, these videos are rooted in geographic concepts. The Map Men, as Chris Fitch wrote, "tap into a rich vein of geographical quirks to teach through comedy."

VIDEO CONTENT: Both Sudan and Egypt claim the rightful border between their countries should include the Hala'ib Triangle on their side of the border. This leaves Bir Tawil unclaimed and it pops up in the news when those hoping to create a micronation claim it. This bizarre case exemplifies some important principles of political geography with a tangible example to test the limits of political sovereignty and what it take to be called a country. If discussing the elements necessary to create a state, this article would help fuel a discussion, especially when some people are eager to create their own micronation.

"In so many ways, Seattle is an amazing success story, thriving and economically vibrant, drawing thousands of people from around the country and the world. But we’ve also paid a hefty price for our success. The sudden injection of tech wealth has made Seattle a more exclusive place. It’s exacerbated inequalities, pushing people out of the city or even into homelessness. Rapid growth has taxed our infrastructure, and the debate over where to house all these new people has divided the city."

Seth Dixon's insight:

Here are three articles from West Coast cities (Seattle, San Francisco, and San Diego) all bemoaning the troubles/difficulties associated with the increasingly expensive housing markets that are negatively impacting the quality of life and the communities. The three cities in question are all perceived as highly desirable places to live and many creative industries and businesses are flourishing in these areas.

Rapid economic success will change a city--and reconfigure the spatial networks and the sense of place in many neighborhoods. As demand for new housing in exclusive neighborhoods grows, gentrification is but one of the processes that will impact the city. These are some of the most economically successful cities on the West Coast; but economic success for a region will also present new difficulties and challenges as many domestic and international migrants are attracted to these comes the areas. Virtually all of the cities that migrants are being pulled to for economic opportunities and cultural amenities are going to be experiencing some similar struggles.

"Old settlement patterns have reversed, but old problems of adaptation remain. Immigrants still like to settle where immigrants have already settled (chain migration). Once word of the new ethnoburbs got around, they grew fast. Letters, phone calls, and then emails back to the old country, enticed others. In Richmond, one group held an extended debate with city hall over there being ‘too much’ Chinese writing on business signs. Residents of a condo building complained when the strata council held its meetings only in Mandarin. And just as in other parts of gateway cities, as wealthy Chinese buy properties in ethnoburbs, they have been blamed for driving prices out of local reach."

Seth Dixon's insight:

Residents of ethnoburbs often have transnational lives that fit into their countries of origin as well as their new homes. Ethnoburbs are common in North America as well as Australia and New Zealand.

Questions to Ponder: What similarities and differences do ethnoburbs have from other ethnic communities? What similarities and differences do ethnoburbs have with other urban processes such as gentrification?

"Maybe it’s something in the gazpacho or paella, as Spain just surpassed Italy to become the world’s healthiest country."

Seth Dixon's insight:

This data offers excellent insight into regional developmental patterns around the world--it is very much worth exploring. However I'm sharing this also for it's mapping project potential; the data behind this map is available in the article and students can make their own maps with it.

This data will be helpful for students to exam how where a person lives influences their wellbeing (health with a focus on two Asian countries, as per curriculum descriptors). This can be a starting point for learner investigations of; reasons for, and consequences of, spatial variations in human wellbeing on a regional scale within India or another country of the Asia region (ACHGK079 - Scootle )

Identifying floodplain boundaries is of paramount importance for earth, environmental and socioeconomic studies addressing riverine risk and resource management. However, to date, a global floodplain delineation using a homogeneous procedure has not been constructed. In this paper, we present the first, comprehensive, high-resolution, gridded dataset of Earth’s floodplains at 250-m resolution (GFPLAIN250m).

Seth Dixon's insight:

Satellites see the world as a bunch of pixels. In this recent article in the journal Nature, the authors used a global set of satellite images to create the first global layer of floodplains. This data is now publicly accessible as a free download (one you can put into ArcGIS after the files are extracted and zipped).

This is old video is still shocking because of the blatant disregard for worker safety during the huge rush to get Beijing ready for the 2012 Olympics. This can been seen as large cities host global events such as the World Cup or the Olympics. As was seen in Rio de Janeiro, leaders will try to sweep some problems under the rug before the global spotlight shines on them. This video can also be used to lead to a discussion concerning China's continued economic growth. What other ways has China (or Chinese companies) been "cutting corners?" How does that give them a competitive edge on the global industrial market?

"Changing Landscape is a remote sensing-based land cover study that charts landscape changes in Connecticut and portions of New York. It covers the 25-year period from 1985 to 2010 (with in-between dates of 1990, 1995, 2002 and 2006). It includes information on basic land cover, as well as subsidiary analyses of riparian corridor land cover, impervious cover and agricultural field and soil analysis."

Seth Dixon's insight:

This story map, created with the Story Map Journal application in ArcGIS Online, is a great example of how to use the "Story Action" features. Story Action features can move the map view to a particular location or change what is being displayed on the main stage of the story map. These can also be used to navigate to a different section of the a story map.

Here are two excellent Story Maps that use "Story Action" features. Please take some time to explore both of them and note how these features enhance the presentation of this spatial information:

"The adult daughter of Dubai’s ruler tried to escape a life of stultifying restrictions. She was captured at sea, forcibly taken back, and has not been heard from since. For all its megamalls, haute cuisine and dizzying skyscrapers, Dubai can flip at speed from international playground to repressive police state."

Seth Dixon's insight:

Both of these particular case studies are incredibly interesting but I want to talk about how this is connected to a larger cultural and political issue: that of female mobility in Persian Gulf countries. The ability to move freely without familial supervision or approval is something that adults in most countries take for granted, but that is not the case in some countries in the Middle East. How we experience place is dependent of our mobility—this is why there is no one singular geography or story of any given place, but there are many geographies that help to explain a place. The story of the ‘vanished princess’ of Dubai and the woman seeking a divorce but trapped by her family cast a different light on the glamorous and glitzy reputation of the United Arab Emirates.

This study explores Chinese language policy and language use in Inner Asia, as well as the relation of language policy to the politics of Uyghur identity. Language is central to ethnic identity, and official language policies are often overlooked as critical factors in conflict over ethnic nationalism.

"Modern cities are designed for cars. But the city of Barcelona is testing out an urban design trick that can give cities back to pedestrians."

Seth Dixon's insight:

Walkable cities improve the local economy and many cities are working to improve their walkability. Cities can improve sidewalks, decrease parking lots, beautify storefronts and add other amenities that encourage walking. Neighborhoods that are very walkable often have a vibrant sense of place. This article (and the embedded video) nicely explain many issues surrounding walkable urban environments.

"Colombia is currently dealing with a massive wave of refugees coming from Venezuela. Venezuelans are fleeing their home because of a severe economic crisis under President Nicolas Maduro. There are high inflation rates and there isn’t enough food available for people within Venezuela to even eat. Thousands of Venezuelans cross the Simon Bolivar bridge located at Cúcuta every day and Colombia doesn’t seem to be turning anyone way. This borders episode looks at why Colombia doesn’t turn away these refugees, the shared history of the two nations and how there may be a limit to Colombia’s acceptance of incoming Venezuelans."

Seth Dixon's insight:

The Vox border series is one of Youtube series that is the most infused with geographic themes and concepts. If you haven't yet discovered this yet, this episode is a great introduction to current issues in both Colombia and Venezuela. This is also a curious case because it gets so close to the line of what we consider voluntary and involuntary migration.

"After water, concrete is the most widely used substance on the planet. But its benefits mask enormous dangers to the planet, to human health – and to culture itself. Our blue and green world is becoming greyer by the second. If the cement industry were a country, it would be the third largest carbon dioxide emitter in the world with up to 2.8bn tonnes."

"Justices will be reviewing the case of North Carolina, where Republicans drew a map to maximize their power in the House. Plaintiffs challenging the map say it’s unconstitutional. A companion case centers on Maryland’s 6th Congressional District, which Democrats admit they redrew in 2011 to make it harder for the Republican incumbent there to win re-election. The two cases hold the potential to set the course of American politics for generations."

Seth Dixon's insight:

Questions to Ponder: Do you trust the politicians that are in charge of your state to create better districts than a computer-generated set of districts that are optimized for compactness? What are some of the potential limitations of compact districts? Would an independent committee/bipartisan group do a better job?

Japan – once one of the world’s most homogenous societies – is starting to unwind its traditional opposition to large-scale immigration

Seth Dixon's insight:

Japan is one of the closest examples of a nation-state. And like Iceland, that is in part because the ocean historically has acted as a massive barrier to cultural diffusion and migration. Today though, modern transportation makes that barrier negligible. Cultural attitudes have continued to not favor international immigration but their declining population has forced a change towards the end of 2018 (see any of theses five articles from Washington Post, Japanese Times, Nippon.com, the Guardian, and the Diplomat).

Japan has traditionally been one on the countries most opposed to allowing large number of migrants into their country. The administration is still presenting themselves as tough on immigration; the 2018 policy change will allow semi-skilled workers to enter Japan for 5 years, but they cannot bring their family members with them, and they still must pass a Japanese-language exam. These shifts are not an abandonment of policies that seek to preserve cultural homogeneity, but they are also an acknowledgement of the demographic realities and struggles of a declining population.

Until 2018, Japanese policy only highly-skilled migrants were allowed in to Japan, with advantages given to those with Japanese ancestry. However, these stringent migration policies coupled with Japan’s declining birth rates meant that Japan’s population was declining substantially enough to negatively impact their economy. There were foreign workers filling in the gaps, but only 20% of those workers had functioning work visas under the old prohibitive system. This new policy is primarily aimed at replacing workers in sectors that are facing severe labor shortages, that are being classified as “semi-skilled workers.” The law is trying to walk a fine line, trying to bring in more workers to Japan while simultaneously making it very difficult still trying to make it very tough for these workers to settle permanently in Japan. This will have a significant impact on Japanese society, and in the near future, it’s cultural institutions.

"Astana has been renamed as Nur-Sultan, as a tribute to former leader Nursultan Nazarbayev, who recently resigned. Astana replaced Almaty as the capital in 1997 and boomed from a minor provincial steppe town into a futuristic city. The name Astana literally means 'capital' in Kazakh and there has long been speculation it could, at some point, be renamed after the leader who shaped it."

Seth Dixon's insight:

St. Petersburg was the classic example of a forward capital that was renamed after the visionary leader responsible for that change. The world now has another example of this phenomenon.

"Israel has occupied the strategic plateau since capturing it from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war. There are more than 30 Jewish settlements on the heights, with an estimated 20,000 settlers.

There are some 20,000 Syrians in the area, most of them members of the Druze sect."

Seth Dixon's insight:

I had my class all ready to go, and then this happened. The Golan Heights is a small chunk of land, 3 times larger than Rhode Island, is far more important geopolitically than its size would indicate. This land is Israeli controlled, but internationally still considered a part of Syria, much like Russia controls Crimea, but it is still internationally recognized as a part of Ukraine. Not surprisingly, Syria has condemned these statements from the President of the United States as have many members of the international community.

"China has huge ambitions for the 21st century. But it’s demographic problems will be a significant challenge on the way there."

Seth Dixon's insight:

I know that YOU know that China ended the One-Child Policy, but many incoming college freshman have a world view about population that is a generation behind on many of the current population trends. This video discusses most of the APHG population topics using China as the world's most important population case study--that makes this video excellent to show in a regional or human geography course.

A guide to the most—and least—politically open-minded counties in America

Seth Dixon's insight:

I would like to start off by saying that I've lived in Red America and Blue America, and I love the people and places of both. This is a fascinating set of maps because it isn't just about where are the Republicans and Democrats--we've all seen those maps. More important to to me is attempting to discern where people can still see their neighbors as neighbors, even if they strongly disagree politically. "In general, the most politically intolerant Americans, according to the analysis, tend to be whiter, more highly educated, older, more urban, and more partisan themselves."

"Pound for pound, Parmigiano-Reggiano can compete with almost any food for calcium, amino acids, protein and vitamin A – and is prescribed by doctors to cure ailments."

Seth Dixon's insight:

While this article focuses often on the nutritional aspects of Parmigiano-Reggiano, I want people to notice the understated importance of place and the cultural ethos surrounding the production of this product. True, it is an economic industry for the region, but it is also a defining cultural characteristic of the place and a way of life. The place makes the product and the product makes the place.

"Asians don't think of themselves as Asian, but as the new Silk Roads re-emerge and propel Asia to the center of the world economy, Asians are rediscovering their greatness and forging a new Asian identity for the 21st century."

Seth Dixon's insight:

When discussing global economic growth, it is impossible not to mention Asia. Parag Khanna is the author of the book, The Future is Asian, and in this TED talk he highlights how Asia is growing. More importantly, he looks at how discrete Asian cultures are becoming more intermixed as the economic infrastructure of Asia becomes increasingly interconnected (a summary article is titled, We are all Asians Now). His 2009 TED talk, Mapping the Future of Countries, about border conflicts, is an APHG classic.

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